Devi Kroell (Q2918)
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Devi Kroell is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Devi Kroell |
Devi Kroell is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Now in her fourth season of designing ready-to-wear, Devi Kroell graduated today to a full runway show. Though the designer displayed an immediately confident voice when launching her accessories business six years ago, the process of branching out into clothing hasn't been quite as effortless. Backstage, she explained that last Spring's collection, which was very different from today's opulent, evening-focused look, was the result of letting too many cooks into the proverbial kitchen. "I listened to too many people," said Kroell. Starting with her pre-fall line, the designer explained, she sharpened her focus to a raison d'être about which she feels strongly: translating the minimal shapes and rich materials of her bags and shoes into dresses and coats.Fall had plenty of those luxurious materials, in moody jewel tones or flash-bright metallics. The show opened with a royal purple astrakhan tuxedo coat with a leather collar, topped with a fox fur trapper's hat. There were more pelts to come, like two terrific dyed fox coats, which were some of the strongest pieces in the show. (In fact, Kroell's furs, which debuted long before the ready-to-wear, have always seemed like a perfect natural extension of her business.) Whether you'd call these silhouettes minimal depends on your taste for tricks. There were blouson backs and face-framing collars, but nothing so outlandish as to ring the alarm.Though not perfect, it was a collection with some fine clothes. Enough to justify expanding into very high-end ready-to-wear while the economy still falters? That remains to be seen. But with the cash injection of the Bartel family (which also owns a stake in Lanvin), Kroell may yet have the luxury of time and resources to make her case.
14 February 2010
The recent opening of her Madison Avenue flagship has already had an impact on Devi Kroell's designs. "The great thing about the store is you get immediate feedback as to what the customer likes or wants," she said. Her tweed pieces have been big sellers so far—Kroell creates the fabrics with an esteemed mill in England—so for pre-fall she whipped up a great pair of cropped trousers and a standout oversize coat in the stuff. Other pieces, like washed duchesse silk pants, lightweight textured knits, and buttery leather pants, are just as luxe, but comfort is key. As for what else the customers are liking? Eveningwear. Kroell's elegantly draped jewel-tone gowns could very well be the new buzz come awards season.
9 December 2009
"I don't want to say it's more youthful," said Devi Kroell, surveying the models at her presentation. "Maybe it has more energy." Whatever the exactly appropriate phrasing, what a difference a season makes. After Fall's uptown and slightly stiff look, Kroell's colorful and quirky Spring collection was a welcome breath of fresh air.The experienced accessories wiz views her ready-to-wear, now in its third season, as an extension of those shoes and bags. Thus she approaches it the same way, focusing on luxe and innovative materials. The bone-hued trim on a lean Japanese cotton trench, for instance, is leather that's been dipped in neoprene. So, too, a pale and breezy caftan looks like crinkled gauze but is actually triple-layered chiffon.Those pieces sound lovely but also expensive. Kroell may find that people don't buy clothes the way they do handbags, and that's certainly a hitch.Speaking of accessories, most looks were paired with cone-heel platform sandals, which were chic but nothing new. Better were the bright espadrilles, including a pair in ultra-saturated turquoise worn with a purple ruffled dress. There were also terrific super-flat sneakers just barely visible under wide-leg khakis. But for the clothes, Kroell is still working out the exact raison d'être of her ready-to-wear, and as such the overall look was less than fully formed. Nevertheless, this collection is a step in the right direction.
13 September 2009
Accessories darling Devi Kroell returned to Milk Studios to present her second season of ready-to-wear. "It's for the chic, busy woman," said the designer. "She goes to the office and then she goes out." Kroell set the jewel-toned collection, fittingly, against a gleaming gold runway. Though she chose a slightly muted palette (in order to avoid ostentation, she explained), color was really the story here, particularly with two belted furs—one a gold vest, the other a teal coat—that immediately grabbed the eye. The same was true for day-to-night silk dresses in ruby, wine, and teal, which borrowed their accordion pleats and origami-esque knots from the traditional dirndl of Kroell's native Austria. The fascinatingly off combination of a gray tuxedo jacket over a forest green shirt and gold pants showed a smart and original color sense. Even more so than Spring, Fall offered a rather uptown brand of chic. It's a look that veers toward preciousness, as in the case of a little chocolate tweed jacket paired with a gold silk skirt, worn with a chain handbag. There was far more energy and news in the terrific wide-leg pants—still sophisticated but with an undertone of rock 'n' roll in the slightly flared leg. Perhaps you call those day-to-night-to-morning.
17 February 2009
Why would an award-winning accessories designer add ready-to-wear to her already impressive résumé at exactly the moment economists are talking recession? "I needed a new challenge, and, evolution-wise, this was the right moment," Devi Kroell said at Milk Studios, scene of her polished 23-look presentation.Kroell, who first made a splash with her really big, really soft snakeskin hobo bag, put her passion for unique materials to work, shifting her focus from skins to silks. The neatly conceived collection was made of fabrics with a beautiful hand, inviting a good touch and feel. (Not that she entirely ignored unusual leathers: There was a knockout black-and-white shawl-collared sea-snake coat in the lineup, too.) Kroell managed to deliver on a promise too often made but too little kept: to carry a woman from day into night. Full-legged pants, bow-tied blouses, and a waxed-cotton trench fell on the office-friendly side, while a slightly bubbled peony-pink dress and a strapless back-trained black number—shown, naturally, with the perfect bag and shoes to match—tilted toward cocktails. "There are a lot of disposable clothes on the market right now," Kroell said, "but not many that you'd want to collect or hold on to. I want to create very luxurious clothes with a restrained elegance to fill that gap." Blue-chip investments for the long-term? They always make good dollars and cents.
9 September 2008